Activision Faces Investigation Over “Misleading And Aggressive Practices” In Two Games

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Italy’s competition watchdog is looking into Activision Blizzard, alleging that its mobile games, Diablo Immortal and Call of Duty Mobile, use deceptive and pushy tactics.

The regulatory body found that the games are designed to get people to play longer, return frequently, and spend money on in-game offers, potentially using misleading designs.

As a player, it’s really annoying to get constantly reminded about rewards or limited-time items! The report points out how games keep popping up messages during gameplay and even outside of it, trying to pressure you into grabbing something before it’s gone. They use in-app notifications and push notifications too, just to make sure you don’t miss out – or, let’s be real, to get you to spend money!

These methods, along with confusing pricing and the way virtual currency is sold, can encourage players – even children – to spend a lot of money. This can lead to excessive spending, beyond what’s needed to enjoy the game, and without fully understanding how much they are spending.

The group alleges that the default parental controls in Diablo Immortal and Call of Duty Mobile don’t adequately protect children. Specifically, they point to settings that allow kids to make purchases within the games, use social features, and play for unlimited amounts of time.

Italy’s competition watchdog is investigating how Diablo Immortal and Call of Duty Mobile handle personal data. They’re concerned that players, even children, may be tricked into agreeing to data collection for advertising because the consent options appear to be required, not optional.

TopMob has contacted Activision Blizzard for a statement. Microsoft now owns Activision Blizzard and all of its popular game franchises after completing a $75.4 billion acquisition.

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2026-01-16 20:09